Description

Even the most experienced authors make citation mistakes: citing the wrong source, mixing up page numbers, mistyping a title or an author’s name, or not following a consistent format. Correcting these errors is a valuable service, but many editors feel daunted or irritated by this often time-consuming task. By developing your ability to identify and fix citation mistakes, you can better support your clients while also saving time and frustration.

Intended for academic and nonfiction editors in any field, whether you currently edit citations or are considering adding this service, this 90-minute webinar provides strategies for correcting accuracy and formatting in footnotes, in-text citations, bibliographies, and reference lists.

Topics include:

• The types of citation mistakes authors tend to make (and why they matter)
• Resources for finding accurate information about a source
• Strategies for achieving consistency across the manuscript
• The pros and cons of reference management tools from the editor’s perspective
• Ways to improve efficiency when checking citations
• When to fix something yourself and when to query the author

Discussions of formatting include examples from various styles as well as generalizable principles, so whether your clients primarily use APA, Chicago, MLA, or another format, you will learn applicable strategies.

Erin K. Maher, Ph.D., is a copyeditor, line editor, and indexer who works primarily with academic writers in the humanities. She got her start in editing in graduate school as an editorial assistant for the Journal of the American Musicological Society, where her responsibilities included checking citations in articles accepted for publication. More than a decade later, editing citations is still one of her favorite ways to help clients produce more polished and effective work.